We’re excited to share a new publication in BioEssays led by Erin Chille and Dr. Debashish Bhattacharya at Rutgers University and co-authored by Revive & Restore Program Manager Liv Liberman, alongside collaborators from the Coral Restoration Foundation and Capital Coral.
This comprehensive review examines how diagnostic “point-of-care” tools, inspired by and adapted from human medicine, have the potential to revolutionize coral reef conservation. By leveraging multi-omics approaches—studying metabolites, proteins, and gene expression patterns—researchers have identified reliable biomarkers of coral health and developed practical monitoring tools.
A number of innovative tools have already been developed and tested by the Rutgers team and their partners, including:
- Urinalysis Test Strips: Originally designed for human health monitoring, these strips have been validated to detect ketones and leukocytes in corals—metabolic biomarkers that increase during thermal stress. Researchers have demonstrated their effectiveness in Hawaiian coral species like Montipora capitata, providing immediate stress readings in the field.
- TestStripDX System: A customized 3D-printed smartphone holder paired with image processing software that allows for standardized, rapid analysis of test strip results. This system enables large-scale data collection without expensive laboratory equipment, making it ideal for remote field locations.
- DART-MS Metabolite Fingerprinting: This advanced technique rapidly identifies the unique chemical signatures of healthy versus diseased coral tissues without extensive sample preparation. It has successfully differentiated coral genera and bleaching states, providing a powerful lab-based method for validating field diagnostics.
The paper also champions the continued development of next-generation tools on the horizon, including:
- Advanced Lateral Flow Tests: Similar to COVID rapid tests, these antibody-based tools would detect specific coral protein biomarkers associated with disease and stress. The research team is particularly focused on developing monoclonal antibodies targeting heat shock proteins and other stress-responsive proteins.
- Reproductive Monitoring: Tools that can detect and measure coral sex hormone levels to predict spawning times and assess reproductive health. These would help restoration practitioners better coordinate spawning events and improve fertilization success as climate change disrupts natural spawning synchrony.
- Early Warning Disease Diagnostics: Systems capable of detecting disease markers before visual symptoms appear, enabling preventative treatments before widespread tissue loss occurs.
- Integrated Field Analysis Kits: Comprehensive toolkits combining multiple diagnostic approaches for holistic coral health assessment in a single portable system suited for remote locations.
- Population-Level Monitoring Platforms: Data collection and analysis systems that can integrate individual coral health metrics to provide reef-wide health assessments and predict population-level responses to stressors.
What makes these tools potentially transformative is their accessibility. Like pregnancy tests or glucose meters in human medicine, these coral diagnostic tools are designed to be portable, low-cost, and usable by restoration practitioners and local communities without specialized training.
As coral reefs face mounting threats from marine heatwaves, disease outbreaks, and environmental degradation, reef managers urgently need fast, reliable tools to inform timely decision-making. This research represents a crucial step toward empowering local stakeholders with the technology to monitor and protect their marine resources.
Revive & Restore supported this work as part of our Advanced Coral Toolkit program, which aims to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and applied reef restoration efforts. Congratulations to lead author Erin Chille and senior author Dr. Debashish Bhattacharya for publishing this important work!
